Child&#39;s rocker toy



July 22, 1958. w THOMPSON 2,844,188

7 CHILDS ROCKER TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1954 INVENTOR.

Eda/am W 71027 050 Any.

July 22, 1958 4 E. w. THOMFSON 2,844,188

' CHILD'S ROCKER TOY 3. Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1954 INVENTOR.

BY award WM Atzy July 22, 1958 E. w. THOMPSON 2,844,188

CHILD'S ROCKER TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 11, 1954 INVENTOR. ZZZward TAOITZPJO/L Atty.

United States Patent CHILDS ROCKER TOY Edward W. Thompson, Spokane,Wash.

Application March 11, 1954, Serial No. 415,467

3 Claims. (Cl. 15575) The present invention relates to improvements in achilds rocker toy.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a simple, safe, andeconomical rocking toy for children which is easily set up to operateyet can be quickly folded for storage and transport.

My toy consists of two side panels, hinged at the top, and rounded attheir lower edges to provide rockers with a seat between hinge points atthe top. The child may sit on the seat and rock backward and forward onthe panels.

A particular advantage of my toy is that the panels may be pushedtogether at the bottom so that they lie .side by side and take up only anarrow space for storage,

yet when spread out to the extent permitted they provide a safeattractive rocking horse.

The nature and advantages of my invention appear more fully in thefollowing description and the accornpanying drawings. It should beunderstood, however, that the description and drawings are illustrativeonly and are not intended to limit the invention except insofar as it islimited bythe claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of my invention with the side panelsspread to the position they occupy when a child is sitting on the toy.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the invention.

Figure 4 is an end view of the invention with the side panels spread foroperation.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 ofFigure 2 showing the side panels closed for storage.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention,illustrating the seat construction.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention, showing thehinge construction.

Figures 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views illustrating a slightlymodified form of the invention.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4, the invention is comprised of two sidepanels 10 and 11 which have cut out sections 12 and 13 to cooperate witha seat board 14 to form a saddle like seat. The bottom edge of eachpanel 10 or 11 is curved in an arc to provide a rocker surface for thetoy. At the tops of the panels on either side of the cut out sections 12and 13, hinges 15 are provided to hold the tops of the panels 10 and 11together. Each hinge 15 is made up of two strong cloth straps 16 and 17which are stapled or otherwise secured to the panels 10 and 11. Figure 7shows the exact construction of the hinges 15. One end of each strap 16is secured to the outside of the panel 10, then led over the top of thispanel and secured at its other end to the inside of the panel 11. Eachstrap 17 is secured at one end to the outside of the panel 11, led overthe top of the panel and secured at its other end to the inside of thepanel 10. In this manner the panels 10 and 11 are securely held togetherat their tops and yet are free to swing apart as desired.

The seat construction of my toy is best shown by Figure 6. It is desiredto provide a seat which will lie horizontally across the cut outportions 12 and 13 of the panels 1% and 11 when the toy is set up tooperate, but which will automatically fold up out of the way when thetwo panels 10 and 11 are pushed together for storage. To accomplish thisresult, two strong cloth straps 18 and 19 are secured transverselybetween the panels 10 and 11 across the cut out portions 12 and 13.These straps are of a length such that when the panels are spread to anangle of approximately 45 degrees, the straps 18 and 19 are stretchedtaut between the panels 10 and 11. The seat board 14 is stapled orotherwise secured to the tops of the straps 18 and 19 for a distancefrom one edge to a point slightly less than half way across the board14.

When the two panels 11 and 11 are pushed together, the straps 18 and 19fold upward, pivoting the seat about one edge to a vertical position,thus placing it in the same plane as the panels 10 and 11. When thepanels 10 and 11 are spread apart, the straps 18 and 19 are pulled tautbetween the panels 10 and 11 and the seat 14 is pulled down so that itrests on the cut out portions 12 and 13 of the panels 10 and 11.

In order to keep the toy from collapsing during the childs play, a bar20 is fastened transversely to the underside of the seat 14 intermediatethe straps 18 and 19; the bar 20 being slightly less in length than thewidth of the seat 14, so that it wedges between the panels 10 and 11when the toy is spread for play. If the toy is pushed over, the bar 20keeps the panels 10 and 11 from collapsing together. When it is desiredto fold the toy together, however, the seat can be given a slight upwardpull to disengage the ends of the bar 20 from the panels 10 and 11.

Stirrup holes 21 and 22 are provided in the panels 10 and 11, near theirlower, curved sides, and slightly forward from the middle of each panel10 or 11. A strap 23-is secured at one end to the panel 10, led throughthe sli rrup hole 21, through the stirrup hole 22 and secured to thepanel 11. This strap 23 is of a length such that it is stretched tautwhen the panels are spread enough to bring the seat 14 to its wedgeddown position. The strap 23 is meant to cooperate with the straps 18 and19 in holding the panels 10 and 11 from spreading more than 45 degreesapart. Another strap 24 in the form of a loop is secured to the panels10 and 11 at their tops at one end of the cut out sections 12 and 13.This looped strap 24 is used as a hand hold or bridle rein.

In the modified form of the invention, metal hinges 25 are utilized inplace of the straps 16 and 17 to fasten the tops of the panels 10 and 11together. In this form of the invention, the seat is made up of twosections 26 and 27 which are hinged together at 28 in the middle to formthe seat board. These sections 26 and 27 have hinges 29 at their outsideedges to secure them to the cut out portions 12 and 13 of the panels 10and 11. As seen in Figures 8 and 9, when the panels 10 and 11 arespread, the hinged sections 26 and 27 swing down into a horizontalposition to form the seat, and when the panels 10 and 11 are pushedtogether, the sections 26 and 27 break and swing up to vertical positionin the plane of the panels Ill and 11.

The operation of either form of the invention is simple, the panels arespread for operation by the child, or pushed together for storage andtransport.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A childs rocking toy comprising two side panels,

each of said panels having its bottom edge curved upwardly fromthecenter toward' the end edges of the panel, each of said panels alsobeing recessed at its upper edge intermediate its outside edges, hingesconnecting the upper edges of the panels together, said hinges eachcomprising two strong cloth straps, each panel having one end of onestrap connected toits outer surface and having one end ofthe other strapconnected to its innersurface, a rigid seatmember hinged to the panels;said last named member being positioned at thebottom of the recesses andextending transversely between the panels, said hinges securing the seatmemher being composed of two strong cloth straps extending transverselyof' the panels and positioned at the bottom of the recesses, thestraps'being secured at their ends; to thepanels, and the seat memberbeing secured to the straps for" a distance from one side edge of theseat member to a point spaced from the side edge but less than half thewidth of the seatmember in such a manner that the seat member may beforced upwardly and pivoted about one panel asthe panels are pushedtogether for storage, an aperture in each panel positioned in the lowerforward portion of the panel, a strong cloth strap extendingtransversely of the panels and having its ends extending through theapertures and secured to the outside surfaces of the panels, said strapbeing of a length such that it will limit the spreading of the panels toan angle of approximately 45 degrees.

2: A childs rocking toy comprising two side panels, each of said panelshaving its bottom edge curved upwardly from the center toward the endedges of the panel, each of said panel's also being recessed at, itsupper edges intermediate its outside edges, hinges connecting the upperedges of the panels together, said hinges each comprising two, strongcloth straps, each panel having one end of one strap connected to itsouter surface and having one end of the other strap connected to itsinner surface, a rigid seat member hinged to the panels; said last namedmember being,

positioned at the bottom of the recesses and extending transverselybetween the panels, said hinges securing the seat member being composedof two strong cloth straps extending transversely of the panels andpositioned at the bottom of the recesses, the straps being secured attheir ends to the panels, and the seat member being secured to thestraps for a distance from one side edge of the seat member to a pointspaced from the side edge but less than halfthe width of the seat memberin such a manner that the seat member may be forced upwardly and pivotedabout one panel as the panels are pushed together for storage, anaperture in each panel positioned in the lower forward portion of thepanel, a strong cloth strap extending transversely of the panels andhaving its ends extending through the apertures and secured to theoutside, surfaces of. the panels, said strap being of a length such thatit will limit the spreading of the panels to ananglev of approximately455' degrees, and a handle loop being secured to the top edges of thepanels and positioned between the forward hinge and the recesses in thepanels, said loop being useable as a hand hold.

3. In a childs rocking toy comprising two side panels, each of saidpanels having its bottom edged curved upwardly from the center towardthe end edges of the panel, each of said panel's also' being recessedat, its upper edge intermediate its outside edges, hingesconnectingtheupper edges of the panelstogether, said hinges eachcomprising two strong cloth straps, each panel having one end ofonestrap connected to its outer'surface and having one end of the otherstrap connected" to its inner surface, arigid seat member hinged to thepanels, saidlast named member being positioned at the bottom of therecesses and extending transversely between the panels, said hingessecuring the seat" member being composed of two strong cloth strapsextending transversely of the panels and positioned at the bottom of therecesses, the straps being secured at their ends to-the panels, and theseat member being secured to the straps for a distance-from one sideedge of the seat member to a point spaced from the side edge but lessthan half the width of the seat'member in such a. manner that the seatmember may be forced upwardly and pivoted about onepanel as the panelsare pushed together. for storage.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES; PATENTS1,039,699 Converse Oct. 1,1912? 1,079,399 Converse Novt- 25, 191-32,362,685 Damsted Nov. 14,1944

